Interesting.. the "great copiers" epithet. Again.

Post #134,386 by Ashton 1/8/04 8:23:35 PM Reply	Interesting.. the "great copiers" epithet. Again. - applied universally to the Japanese, in the days when a small town called Usa permitted "Made in USA" fabrications. Applied (by some, still - it seems) re Russkies of all stripes. A perfect complement to our ingrained xenophobia, of course. Goes with the other One God - Ours. Alas, there are just enough samples to keep these myths alive.. A Russian synchrotron was patterned after the 3 GeV BNL "Cosmotron": predecessor of the cough LBL 6.2 Gev Bevatron (initially proton-only synchrotron accelerator). Seems they had beaucoup vacuum leaks. (I didn't follow the history later). I never saw any engineering drawings of the Russ machine, but know how intricate were the double gaskets, with individual "pump-outs" for all of the flat or curved SS panels which comprised the vac. tank. Even the surface treatment of that rubber proved to (have been) critical: a special silver coating. Had they omitted even that detail . . . It's all in the Details. Imagine the heat-treating tricks for just certain parts of the Wright engines. Amazing feat ~ as complex as an accelerator, and as varied disciplines / lore to be grokked. A.
Post #134,389 by deSitter 1/8/04 8:43:10 PM Reply	In this case, it's no epithet It's literally true. Stalin was extremely paranoid that an exact duplicate be reproduced. So even when the Russian engineers had better solutions, they were not allowed to implement them. A kommisar would routinely drop by and measure the exactness of reproduction. As Alex mentioned, even errors were religiously replicated. -drl
Post #134,465 by Ashton 1/9/04 7:16:16 AM Reply	I got that: was referring to the general characterization - in the link. Yes of course - at Stalin's end: much sillines. Absolute power will do that. (Like sing-alongs of the AG's Eagle songs ?)
Post #135,652 by Arkadiy 1/14/04 9:53:05 AM Reply	Same happened in Computers Rusian hardware was somewhat thriving in 60s, non-existing in 70s. Instead, we had System 360/370, PDP-11 / VAX and Barrows. All under nice Russain abbreviations. All barely functioning, as Russian production technology could not reach the Western quality. Eventually, IBM XTs and ATs were copied. The process stopped there due to opening of the iron curtain. -- "It\ufffds possible to build a reasonably prosperous society that invests in its people, doesn\ufffdt invade its neighbors, opposes Israel and stands up to America. (Just look at France.)" -- James Lileks
Post #135,816 by a6l6e6x 1/14/04 10:01:12 PM Reply	Ah, the RIAD/RYADs, IBM 360/370 like series! Alex The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. -- Plutarch
Post #135,869 by Arkadiy 1/15/04 10:37:01 AM Reply	ESnnnn Edinaya Sistema - Unified System "Unified" means "for the entire COMECON". It was pushed in all Soviet satellite countries. Some units were made in East Germany, or Chechoslovakia. Some in USSR. -- "It\ufffds possible to build a reasonably prosperous society that invests in its people, doesn\ufffdt invade its neighbors, opposes Israel and stands up to America. (Just look at France.)" -- James Lileks

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